Heel and its attachment to shoe



June 21,1938. F L vEJ 2,121,172 2 I HEEL AND ITS ATTACHMENT TO SHOE Filed Aug. 22,1936 2 Sheets-Shet 1 m 1938. F. cfLo'vEJoY 21 HEEL AND ITS ATTACHMENT TO SHOE Fil ed Aug. 22, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fivmvrma QM; Q,

Patented Julie --21, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEEL ITS ATTACHIHENT TO SHOE Fred 0.10am, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 22, 1936, .Serial misuse bodied in a novel shoe in which a short outsole is combined with an improved heel in such a way as to overcome the defects of prior shortoutsole shoe constructions.

Although various expedients for interfltting heels and short outsoles of shoes have been proposed, it has been iound that in all such prior constructions, there is -a tendency, especially pronounced in shoes having high Cuban heels, for the joint between the breast of the heel and the rear end of the sole in the finished shoe to open up. This is due to the slight but constant flexing of theshoe in the vicinity of its heelbreast line.

It is an object of this invention to provide in a shoe having a short outsole an accurate and durable joint between the sole and the breast of 'heel and which is not subject to the drawbacks of prior shoe constructions.

With this object in view, and in accordance ing at the upper portion of its breast a lip sufflciently thin and narrow to lie for substantially its full length between the outsole and the shoe bottom. Below the lip isprovided a ledge so shapedand spaced from the lip as to form with the lip a sole receiving channel of a width sub: stantially equal to the thickness of a normal outsole, said channel extending transversely of the heel immediately beneath the lip and having upwardly turned ends which terminate in the attaching face adjacent to the breast corners of the heel. The channel will preferably be of armate shape transversely of the heel and will extend depthwise in. a direction approximately parallel to the plane of the rim of the attaching face of the heel. Since the sole-receiving channel of the heel terminates inwardly from the sides of the heel no portion of the sole is visible back of the breast of the heel. It is also preferable to extend the reenforcing lip a considerable distance. forwardly of the breast of the heeland press the rear end of the short outsole into the channel so that there is no relative flexing of the heel and the outsole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line in the finished sh The joint between the sole and the breast of to open up as in prior shoe constructions having interfltting heels and short outsoles.

The invention resides also in improvements in the heel which is not visible at the sides of the end of a short outsole attached to a shoe and have heel is therefore not likely manufacturing the heels as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

The inventionand the many advantages resulting therefrom will be readily understood and. appreciated after reading the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which r Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heel blank from whichpa Cuban heel embodying the invention may be made; 1 10 Fig. 2 shows in perspective the heel blank of Fig. 1 after the sides of its forwardly projecting lip have been trimmed; Fig. 3 is apartly sectional view showing the heel blank of Fig. 2 in the process of having ma- 15 terial trimmed from the under side of its projecting lip, a sole-receiving channel being formed at the same time in its breast immediately below the lip; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the heel blank of Fig. 2 after it has been operated upon by the channeling machine indicated in Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective and plan views, respectively, of the heel prior to covering;

Fig. '7 shows in perspective the heelof Figs. 5 and 6 after. it has been covered:

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the heel end of a shoe having a short outsole which has been trimmed to receive the heel of Fig. 7; 7

Fig. 9 is a section on the line IX-IX of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but showing the end of the short outsole, which still has been prepared to receive the heel of Fig. 7, as of a somewhat diflerent form;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation, partly in longitudin section, of the heel end of the shoe of Fig. 8 after the heel of Fig. 7 has been attached thereto: Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a Louis heel embodying the invention;

. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the rear end of a shoe having a short outsole the end of which has been fitted for the reception of the heel illustrated in Fig. 12; and

Fig. 14 is a perspective view, partly broken away and in section, of the shoe illustrated in 45 Fig. 13, with the heel of Fig. 12 attached thereto; Figs. 5, 6 and! of the drawings illustrate a Cuban heel 20 having in the upper portion of its breast 2| a channel 22 shaped toreceive the rear I end of a short outsole 24 (Fig. 8) attached to a shoe 26. The channel 22 terminates inwardly of the side faces 28 (Fig. 5) of the heel 26. and preferably intersects the attaching face 3. 01' the heel back of the subjacent portion of the breast at opposite sides of the base portion of a reenforcing lip 32 which extends a substantial distance forwardly from the breast 2| of the heel. The upper wall of the channel 22 is formed by the under face 36 of the lip 32 which is of less width than the upper portion of the breast 2i of the heel 20, and the width of the channel is substantially equal to the thickness of a normal outsole. In heels for womens shoes, for example, this thickness would be of the order of six or eight irons, more or less, as distinguished from that of a very thin piece of leather such as is commonly used to cover the breast of a heel. The heel 20 may be described as having a solesupporting ledge or lower channel wall 38 which extends from one forward portion of the rim 40 of the attaching face 30 of the heel to the other, and an approximately vertical shoulder 42 which forms the bottom of the channel 22.

The heel 20 (Figs. and 6) may be formed from a heel blank 44 (Fig. 1) of the type used in the construction of Continental heels, the heel blank having a fiat upper face 46, a substantially fiat upper breast portion, and a forwardly projecting lip 48 which extends from one side of the blank to the other. Before forming the sole-receiving channel 22 it is preferable to trim material from the sides of the lip 48 by the use, for example, of a pair of spaced milling cutters (not shown) whereby to form a heel blank 50 having a lip 52, as shown in Fig. 2. In reducing the lip 48 to the form shown in Fig. 2 it is desirable that the cutting strokes of the teeth of the milling cutters shall progress toward the under side of the lip, that is, away from the flat surface 46. The heel blank 50 is then presented to a rotating tubular saw 54 (Fig. 3) of a channeling machine to form the heel blank 55 illustrated in Fig. 4. The heel blank 50 may be supported in the channeling machine upon a table 58 carried by a slide 60 which is movable in directions 62 lengthwise of the tubular saw 54'. The heel blank 50 is centralized in the channeling machine by suitable mechanism (not shown) with the breast edges 64 of the heel in engagement with a bar 66 which is used to locate theheel blank properly in the machine. Afterthe heel blank 50 has been positioned upon the table 58, the blank and the table are moved to the right (Fig. 3) a predetermined distance controlled by a stop (not shown) thereby removing material from the under side of the lip 52 and to form the channel 22. The channel 22 formed by'the rotating tubular saw 54 may be referred to as a cylindrical kerf the elements of which extend generally lengthwise of the heel. It may also be described as being of arcuate shape transversely of the heel and extending depthwise in a direction approximately parallel to the plane of the rim of the attaching face. The top face 48"of the heel blank 55 is then presented to a concaving machine (not shown) slightly to concave the attaching face 30 v of the heel and to remove material from and concave the upper face of the lip 69 of the heel blank 55. The upper face of the lip 32 Figs. 4 and 5) is therefore continuous with the attaching face 30 of the heel. By practicing the above method the heels 20 can be quickly and effectively formed from the heel blanks 44 without danger of splitting the heels in the vicinity of their upper breast corners. If desired material may be removed from the sides of the projecting lip 48 (Fig. 1)

of the heel blank 44 by the tubular saw 54 during It will be noted that the rim 40 of the attaching face 30 of the heel 20 lies in a plane which is spaced from and overlies the lip 32. The lip 32 may therefore be described as being located between the sole-receiving channel 22 and the plane of the rim of the attaching face of the heel.

The heel 20 (Figs. 5 and 6) may be covered by a single piece of covering material 68 (Fig. 7) I the forward margins of which are secured in overlapping relation to the breast 2i of the heel, the top margin of the cover being inturned upon and secured to the attaching face 30 of the heel and to the lower wall 38 of the channel 22, or it may be covered in any other suitable manner, or otherwise finished, as by lacquering.

The short outsole 24 of the shoe 26 has a rear or end face 12 which is located a short distance rearwardly of the heel-breast line of the sole. It is common practice to skive material from the lateral margins of the flesh side of the shank portion of the outsole before the same is attached to the shoe, thereby to provide the sole with beveled margins 13. The outsole 24 is of substantially uniform width from its breast line 10 rearwardly. The width of the rear portion of the outsole 24 of the shoe may be varied in accordance with the length of the channel 22 of the heel to be attached to the shoe, the proportions being such that the edges of the outsole of the finished shoe extend laterally approximately to, but not beyond, the breast corners 14 of the heel.

In order to provide a shoe having a heel seat which is substantially complemental to the attaching face of the heel to be attached to the shoe the heel seat (Fig. 8) of the shoe 26 (Fig. 8) may be built up by means of either a suitably shaped piece of sheet material or by using a mixture 18 of plastic material (Fig. 11) for example. cement andsawdust, which may be applied to the shoe by a machine such as that disclosed in application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 81,299, filed May 22, 1936 in the name of John T. Lancaster.

In order to position the covered heel 1i upon the shoe 2B preparatory to attaching the same to the shoe, the heel is' moved toward and forwardly of the prepared heel seat of the inverted shoe with its lip 32 tilted slightly downwardly, causing the lip to enter a cavity 16, between the rear end of the outsole 24 and the shoe bottom, and causing the rear portion of the outsole 24 to be engaged within the channel 22. When the heel has been moved to its proper position upon the shoe it is attached in any suitable way. If desired, a small quantity of the above-mentioned mixture of pyroxylin cement and sawdust in a moldable condition may be inserted in the cavity 16, just before the heel is positioned upon the shoe.

The width of the channel 22 may be varied to accommodate outsoles 24 of different thicknesses, and the curvature of the channel and therefore the under surface 36 of the lip 32 also may be varied in accordance with the transverse curvature of the shank portion of the outsole.

In order to insure a strong and durable joint between the heel 'H (Fig. 7) and the outsole 24 (Fig. 8) it is desirable that the lip of the heel be fairly rigid with relation to the remaining portion of the heel and that the channel 22 be narrow enough to be completely filled by the end of the sole 24, or even better that the sole be compressed somewhat by the channel, thereby forming a tight joint between the heel and the outsole. Since the channel 22 terminates inwardly attachment to shoes.

from the sides 28 of the heel, no portion of the outsole is visible back of the heel-breast line 10 of the finished shoe.

Although the channel 22 is illustrated as extending only a short distance rearwardly of the breast of the-heel, it is contemplated to increase the depth of the channel, if desired, and to drive and effectively formed in the stock fitting room and does not have to be trimmed for the reception of the covered heel II after attachment to the shoe upper.. By providing the new heel it is therefore possible to utilize short outsoles which cost considerably less than outsoles of the standard length, and which may be finally prepared for the reception of heels at a low cost before By securing the rear end of the outsole 24 in the channel 22 and interposing the lip 32 of the heel between the outsole and the shoe upper for a substantial distance forward of the heel-breast line 10 of the sole, the slight but constant relative flexing of the heel and the sole of the shoe in the vicinity of its heelbreast line is'avoided Although it is, I believe, generally satisfactory to trim the outsole to theshape illustrated in. Fig. 8 in the stock fitting room, it will be understood that theoperator may further reduce the rear lateral portions of a sole 80 (Fig. 10) by beveling cuts after the same has been attached to the shoe','in order to form tapered slot-engaging portions 02 and heel-breast receiving shoulders 84. Such an operation is desirable whenthe lateral margins of the shank portion of the sole attached to the shoe have not been skived to any considerable degree and are therefore relatively thick.

In Fig. 12 there is illustrated a lacquered or painted heel 86 of the Louis type having in the upper portion of its breast a channel 88 con-. structed and arranged to receive the rear end of the short outsole. The channel may be formed by presenting the Louis heel to the slotting machine indicated in Fig. 3. The heel 06 may be described as having a cylindrical sole-en.- gaging ledge 90 which extends substantiallyfrom one of the forward portions of the rim of the attachingface 94 of the heel to the other. It will be noted that the marginal portions of the ledge are wider than the central portion of the ledge. The upper wall 96 of the channel 80 is formed by the under side of a thin, narrow reenforcing lip 98 which extends a substantial distance forwardly of the upper breast corners I00 of the heel. However, if the lateral margins of the shank portion of the sole have been reduced by skiving cuts to produce an outsole, as shown 'at 24 in Fig. 8, the forward edge I02 ofthe ledge 90 will override the entire width of the sole without the necessity of trimming the sole by hand after the sole has been applied to the shoe. If the margins of the shank portion of an outsole I04 attached to a shoe I05 are relatively thick, as

' illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14, the rear. marginal .portions of the outsole preferably should be v 3 In the manufacture of shoes having Louis heels it is common practice to use extra long outsoles in order to split heel-breast covering flaps therefrom. My invention makes it unnecessary to cover the breast offthe heel with a flap split from the outsole, thus permitting the use of short outsolesin the manufacture of. shoes having Louis heels, with a consequent saving even greater than when Cuban heels are used.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A shoe having a short outsole, and a heel having at the upper portion of its breast a lip which is of considerably less width than the breast of the heel and which extends a substantial distance forward of said breast and is located between the rear end portion of the short outsole and the shoe'bottom, said heel also having in the upper portion of its breast-a channel within which the rear end portion of said outsole is received, one wall of said channel being formed by said lip and the other wall of the channel extending from one side of the attaching face of the heel to the otherand providing a firm support for the rear end portion of the short outsole.

2. A shoe having a short outsole,.and a heel having a projecting lip which is of less width than the upper portion of the breast'of the heel, projects forward of the breast of the heel and is positioned between the outsole and the shoe bottom, said heel being provided with a channel in which the rear end of the short-outsole engages and which channel extends around the under face 'of the lip and terminates inwardly from the side faces of the heel.

3. A shoe having a short outsole provided with shoulders, and a heel having in the upper end of its breast a channel within which the rear end portion of the outsole engages. and having a reenforcing lip which forms one wall of the channel,-

. 4. A shoe having a short outsole provided with a pair of heel-breast receiving shoulders, and a heel of the Louis type having at the upper portion of its breast a sole-receiving channel within which the rear end of said outsole engages, said heel also having a projecting lip which is positioned between the rear end portion of the outsole and the shoe bottom, the middle portion of the wall of the channel which is opposite the lip overriding the sole and the upper breast corner portions of the heel. abutting the shoulders. 5. That improvement in methods of making heels which comprises, forming at the upper portion of the breast of ,a heel blank a forwardly projecting lip disposed at an angle to the breast and extending from one side of the heel blank to the other, "reducing the lip widthwise by removing material from the sides of the same, and removing material from the under side of the lip and forming in the breast of the heel blank 2. sole-receiving channel and a rearward extension of the lip which overlies the channel.

6. That improvement in methods of making heels which comprises, providing 'a heel blank having at the upper end of its breast a forwardly projecting lip extending from one side of the heel blank to the other, removing material from the sides of the lip by a plurality of cutting strokes which progress toward the under side of the lip, and forming in the breast of the heel blank beneath the reduced lip a sole-receiving channel which intersects the top face of the heel blank at opposite sides of the reduced lip and increases the length of said reduced lip.

7. A heel adapted for interengagement with the rear end of a short outsole having no heel breast flap attached to a shoe, said heel having a substantially flat upper breast portion provided with a lip the base of which is a substantial distance back of the subjacent portion of the breast, said lip extending a substantial distance forward of said subjacent portion and being sufliciently thin and narrow to lie for substantially its full length between said outsole and the shoe bottom after the outsole has been attached, said heel also having a ledge below said lip so shaped and spaced from the lip as to form with the lip a sole receiving channel of a width substantially equal to the full, unreduced thickness of said outsole, and with the terminals of said channel in the attaching face of the heel adjacent to the breast corners, said channel being of arcuate shape transversely of the heel and extending depthwise in a direction approximately parallel to the plane of the rim of the attaching face.

8. A heel adapted for interengagement with the rear end of a short outsole having no heel breast flap attached to a shoe, said heel having a substantially flat upper breast portion provided with a lipthe base of which is a substantial distance back of the subjacent portion of the breast,

receiving channel of a width substantially equalto the thickness of a normal outsole, and with the terminals of said channel in the attaching face of the heel adjacent to the breast corners, said channel being of arcuate shape transversely of the heel and extending depthwise in a direction approximately parallel to the plane of the rim of the attaching face.

9. A heel adapted for interengagement with the rear end of a short outsole having no heel breast flap attached to a shoe, said heel having a substantially flat upper breast portion provided with a lip the base of which is a substantial distance back of the subjacent portion of the breast, said lip being sufliciently thin and narrow to lie for substantially its full length between said outsole and the shoe bottom after the outsole has been attached, said heel also having a ledge below said lip so shaped and spaced from the lip as to form with the lip a sole receiving channel of a width substantially equal to the thickness of a normal outsole, and with the terminals of said channel in the attaching faceof the heel adjacent to the breast corners, said channel being of arcuate shape transversely of the heel and extending depthwise in a direction approximately parallel to the plane of the rim of the attaching face.

FRED C. LOVEJOY. 

